Jamaica Gleaner / Five beneficiaries of the Jamaican Scholarship Support Fund (JSSF) met recently with Kamina Johnson Smith, minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, and shared their appreciation for the assistance given them, which has allowed some to complete their tertiary studies, with some currently in their final year.

The JSSF, which was co-founded in 2010 by then high commissioner for Jamaica to Canada, Ambassador Sheila Sealy Monteith, and her husband, Vivian Monteith, is a registered non-profit organisation in Ottawa, Canada, administered by a committee of Jamaican-Canadians.

Through the annual charity Golf Tournament and Dinner, since 2012, the JSSF has been able to provide scholarships for 35 Jamaican students in Jamaican and Canadian tertiary institutions, at a monetary value of CDN$63,500, or J$6 million.

“I was able to register this year because of the scholarship,” said Peta-Gaye Facey, a final-year student at the Norman Manley Law School. She also expounded on her involvement in the Ms Integrity Jamaica initiative, which seeks to offer mentorship for 30 female students from five different girls’ homes.

THINK MORE OF CHARITY

For Shelbi Roye, a final-year student in the Doctor of Medical Dentistry programme at the University of Technology (UTech), being a recipient of a scholarship has nudged her to “think more of charity”. To this end, she intends to be a successful dentist and “assist others in achieving their goals”.

For Tawanda Chambers, who will graduate from the Excelsior Community College in November 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Tourism and Hospitality, receiving the scholarship on the heels of her father’s tragic death was the driving force that brought her through her final exams.

Shanon Murray, a third-year student at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts who travels daily from St Mary to school and Chemar Braithwaite, currently pursuing a Bachelor of Computing Science at UTech, were the other two JSSF recipients.

As each recipient illustrated how the scholarship assisted his/her tertiary experience, Johnson Smith, expressed gratitude to the co-founders of JSSF and all involved in the machinery behind the fund.

Underscoring her passion for youth, the minister noted that “although circumstances may be unchangeable, we can change how we approach and solve challenges in our lives”.

san fernando Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley prayed with members of the Muslim community and distributed zakat (charity) to the needy as he celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr at two masjids in San Fernando yesterday. He attended the Eid services on an invitation from Minister of Local Government Kazim Hosein, who is also referred to as a…

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